The Lukeville, Arizona, border crossing was usually for tourists going to Mexican beaches and family members trading visits. However, they no longer have access, as it is currently out of use and has been since December 4.
Authorities shut down the Lukeville Port of Entry to redeploy its officers to help agents on the front lines. They are to aid in the apprehension and processing of the migrants who attempt to cross daily.
On Wednesday, over 3,000 undocumented migrants crossed into the Tucson sector, and that number continues to grow by the day. The port’s closure does not affect major commercial trade.
However, nearby businesses that depend on the port for their livelihood quickly lose customers. They worry they may soon have to cut staff or close down.
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Arizona’s democrat-Governor Katie Hobbs wrote President Joe Biden on December 8, saying that “the federal government must act immediately to solve the unmitigated crisis caused by the Lukeville Port of Entry closure.”
She also suggested that if National Guard members currently on federal active duty were reassigned to help, there would be an adequate enough workforce to reopen the crossing.
Hobbs signed an executive order directing the state’s National Guard to the border last Friday. According to her, the federal government’s decision to close the Lukeville port had led to “an unmitigated humanitarian crisis” and “put Arizona’s safety and commerce at risk.”
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According to data obtained by NBC News, the processing centers in the Tucson sector are over their capacity by more than 130%. Many incoming migrants are from Mexico, Venezuela, and Central America.
However, many also come from outside the Western Hemisphere, like Senegal. One reason for the migrant surge along the southwest border is Mexico’s shortage of funds.
The funding for the National Institute of Migration (INM), Mexico’s equivalent of CBP, usually runs low at the end of the year. And it is shallow this year after the record border crossings.
Even though Lukeville is out of use, migrants continue to show, many displaying the effects of their long journey.
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One mother says she had to carry her daughter through the mountains to keep up with her group. Some migrants have had to huddle together around built fires by the border wall to keep warm as temperatures fall as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit overnight.
“We knew this was going to be hard. We do it for our families,” a migrant in Lukeville says.
Lukeville Crossing will remain closed until further notice.
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